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ADVENTURES OF 
A BROWNIE 

AS TOLD TO MY CHILD 

BY 

DINAH MARIE MULOCH 

AUTHOR OF " LITTLE LAME PRINCE " 



ILLUSTRATED BY 

james McCracken 


ALBERT^WHITMAN 
&i CO 

CHICAGO 


1.0 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE 
Copyright 1930 
By Albert Whitman & Co. 
Chicago, U.S.A. 



Printed in the U. S. A. 


L . . . 

14 19 SO 

©CIA 30900 








CONTENTS. 

ADVENTURE THE FIRST. 


Brownie and the Cook 


• • 


ADVENTURE THE SECOND. 

Brownie and the Cherry-tree .... 

ADVENTURE THE THIRD. 

Brownie in the Farm-yard. 

i 

ADVENTURE THE FOURTH. 

Brownie’s Ride. 


ADVENTURE THE FIFTH. 

Brownie on the Ice. 


Page 


• • 


. . . 27 


• 0-5 


41 


71 


105 


ADVENTURE THE SIXTH AND LAST. 


Brownie and the Clothes . 


132 















Brownie lived in a cellar. 


















The Adventures of a Brownie, 


ADVENTURE THE FIRST. 

BROWNIE AND THE COOK. 

There was once a little Brownie, who 
lived—where do you think he lived? in a 
coal-cellar. 

Now a coal-cellar may seem a most curious 
place to chose to live in; but then a Brownie 
is a curious creature — a fairy, and yet not one 
of that kind of fairies who fly about on 
gossamer wings, and dance in the moonlight, 




6 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


and so on. He never dances; and as to wings, 
what use would they be to him in a coal-cellar ? 

He is a sober, stay-at-home, household elf 

— nothing much to look at, even if you did see 
him, which you are not likely to do — only a 
little old man, about a foot high, all dressed in 
brown, with a brown face and hands, and a 
brown peaked cap, just the color of a brown 
mouse. And like a mouse, he hides in corners 

— especially kitchen corners, and only comes 
out after dark when nobody is about, and so 
sometimes people call him Mr. Nobody. 

I said you were not likely to see him. I 
never did, certainly, and never knew anybody 
that did; but still, if you were to go to Devon* 
shire, England, you would hear many funny 
stories about Brownies in general, and so I 
may as well tell you the adventures of this 
particular Brownie, who belonged to a family 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


7 


there; which family he had followed from 
house to house, most faithfully, for years and 
years 

A good many people had heard him — 
or supposed they had — when there were 
extraordinary noises about the house ; noises 
which must have come from a mouse or a 
rat — or a Brownie. But nobody had ever 
seen him except the children — the three 
little boys and three little girls — who 
declared he often came to play with them 
when they were alone, and was the nicest 
companion in the world, though he was such 
an old man — hundreds of years old! 

He was full of fun and mischief, and up 
to all sorts of tricks, but he never did any body 
any harm unless they deserved it. 

Brownie was supposed to live under one 
particular coal, in the darkest corner of the 


8 THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 

cellar, which was never allowed to be disturbed. 
Why he had chosen it nobody knew, and how 
he lived there, nobody knew either, nor what 
he lived upon. Except that, ever since the 
family could remember, there had always been 
a bowl of milk put behind the coal-cellar door 
for the Brownie’s supper. Perhaps he drank 
it — perhaps he didn’t; anyhow, the bowl was 
always found empty next morning. 

The old Cook, who had lived all her life 
in the family, had never once forgotten to give 
Brownie her supper; but at last she died, and 
a young Cook came in her stead, who was very 
apt to forget every thing. She was also both 
careless and lazy, and disliked the trouble to 
put a bowl of milk in the same place every 
night for Mr. Nobody. 

“She didn’t believe in Brownies,” she said; 
“she had never seen one, and seeing’s believ- 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


9 


ing.” So she laughed at the other servants, 
who looked very grave, and put the bowl of 
milk in its place as often as they could, without 
saying much about it. 

But once, when Brownie woke up, at his 
usual hour for rising — ten o’clock at night 
and looked round in search of his supper — 
which was, in fact, his breakfast — he found 
nothing there. At first he could not imagine 
such neglect, and went smelling and smelling 
about for his bowl of milk — it was not always 
placed in the same corner now—but in vain. 

“ This will never do,” said he; and, being 
extremely hungry, began running about the 
coal-cellar to see what he could find. His eyes 
were as useful in the dark as in the light — 
like a pussy-cat’s; but there was nothing to be 
seen — not even a potato paring, or a dry 
crust, or a well-gnawed bone, such as Tiny the 


10 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


terrier sometimes brought into the coal-cellar 
and left on the floor — nothing, in short, but 
heaps of coal and coal-dust; and even a 
Brownie can not eat that, you know. 

“ Can’t stand this ; quite impossible! ” 
said the Brownie, tightening his belt to make 
his poor little inside feel less empty. He had 
been asleep so long—about a week, I believe, 
as was his habit when there was nothing to do 
— that he seemed ready to eat his own head, 
or his boots, or any thing. “ What’s to be 
done ? Since nobody brings my supper, I 
must go and fetch it.” 

He spoke quickly, for he always thought 
quickly, and made up his mind in a minute 
To be sure, it was a very little mind, like his 
little body; but he did the best he could with it 
and was not a bad sort of old fellow, after all, 
In the house he had never done any harm, and 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


11 


often some good, for he frightened away all the 
rats, mice, and black-beetles. Not the crickets 
— he liked them, as the old Cook had done: 
she said they were such cheerful creatures, and 
always brought luck to the house. But the 
young Cook could not bear them, and used to 
pour boiling water down their holes, and set 
basins of beer for them with little wooden 
bridges up to the rim, that they might walk up, 
tumble in, and be drowned. 

So there was not even a cricket singing in 
the silent house when Brownie put his head 
out of his coal-cellar door, which, to his 
surprise, he found open. Old Cook used to 
lock it every night, but the young Cook had 
left that key, and the kitchen and pantry keys 
too, all dangling in the lock, so that any thief 
might have got in, and wandered all over the 
house without being found out. 


12 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


“Hurrah, here’s luck!” cried Brownie, 
tossing his cap up in the air, and bounding 
right through the scullery into the kitchen. It 
was quite empty, but there was a good fire 
burning itself out — just for its own amuse¬ 
ment, and the remains of a capital supper 
spread on the table — enough for half a dozen 
people being left still. 

Would you like to know what there was? 
Cream of course; and part of a large dish of 
junket, which is something like curds and whey. 
Lots of bread-and-butter and cheese, and half 
an apple-pudding. Also a great jug of cider 
and another of milk, and several half-full 
glasses, and no end of dirty plates, knives and 
forks. All were scattered about the table in 
the most untidy fashion, just as the servants 
had risen from their supper, without thinking 
to put any thing away. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


13 


Brownie screwed up his little old face and 
turned up his button of a nose, and gave a long 
whistle. You might not believe it, seeing he 
lived in a coal-cellar; but really he liked 
tidiness, and always played his pranks upon 
disorderly or slovenly folk. 

“Whew!” said he; “heres a chance. 
What a supper I’ll get now!” 

And he jumped on to a chair and thence 
to the table, but so quietly that the large black 
cat with four white paws, called Muff, because 
she was so fat and soft, and her fur so long, 
who sat dozing in front of the fire, just opened 
one eye and went to sleep again. She had 
tried to get her nose into the milk-jug, but it 
was too small; and the dish was too deep for 
her to reach, except with one paw. 

She didn’t care much for bread and cheese 
and apple-pudding, and was very well fed 


14 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


besides; so, after just wandering round the 
table, she had jumped down from it again, and 
settled herself to sleep on the hearth. 

But Brownie had no notion of going to 
sleep. He wanted his supper, and oh ! what a 
supper he did eat! first one thing and then 
another, and then trying everything all over 
again. 

And oh ! what a lot he drank! — first milk 
and then cider, and then mixed the two 
together in a way that would have disagreed 
with anybody except a Brownie. 

As it was, he was obliged to slacken his 
belt several times, and at last take it off 
altogether. But he must have had a most 
extraordinary capacity for eating and drinking 
— since, after he had nearly cleared the table, 
he was just as lively as ever, and began 
jumping about on the table as if he had no 
supper at all. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


15 


Now his jumping was a little awkward, 
for there happened to be a clean white table¬ 
cloth : as this was only Monday, it had had no 
time to get dirty — untidy as the Cook was. 
And you know Brownie lived in a coal-cellar, 
and his feet were black with running about in 
coal dust. So wherever he trod, he left the 
impression behind, until at last the whole 
table-cloth was covered with black marks. 

Not that he minded this; in fact, he took 
great pains to make the cloth as dirty as 
possible; and then laughing loudly, “ Ho, ho, 
ho ! ” leaped on to the hearth, and began teasing 
the cat; squeaking like a mouse, or chirping 
like a cricket, or buzzing like a fly; and 
altogether disturbing poor Pussy’s mind so 
much, that she went and hid herself in the 
farthest corner, and left him the hearth all to 
himself, where he lay at ease till day-break. 



Brownie began teasing the cat. 




















THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


17 


Then, hearing a slight noise overhead, 
which might be the servants getting up, he 
jumped on the table again — gobbled up the 
few remaining crumbs for his breakfast, and 
scampered off to his coal-cellar; where he hid 
himself under his big coal, and fell asleep for 
the day. 

Well, the Cook came down stairs rather 
earlier than usual, for she remembered she had 
to clear off the remains of supper; but lo and 
behold, there was nothing left to clear! 

Every bit of food was eaten up — the 
cheese looked as if a dozen mice had been 
nibbling at it, and nibbled it down to the very 
rind; the milk and cider were all drunk — and 
mice don’t care for milk and cider, you know. 

As for the apple-pudding, it had vanished 
altogether; and the dish was licked as clean as 
if Boxer, the yard-dog, had been at it in his 
hungriest mood. 


18 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


“And my white table-cloth — oh, my clean 
white table-cloth ! What can have been done 
to it? ” cried she, in amazement. For it was all 
over little black foot-marks, just the size of a 
baby’s foot — only babies don’t wear shoes 
with nails in them, and don’t run about and 
climb on kitchen tables after all the family 
have gone to bed. 

Cook was a little frightened ; but her 
fright changed to anger when she saw the large 
black cat stretched comfortably on the hearth. 
Poor Muff had crept there for a little snooze 
after Brownie went away. 

“You nasty cat! I see it all now; it’s 
you that have eaten up all the supper; it’s 
you that have been on my clean table-cloth with 
your dirty paws.” 

They were white paws, and as clean as 
possible ; but Cook never thought of that, any 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


19 


more than she did of the fact that cats don't 
usually drink cider or eat apple-pudding. 

“ I ll teach you to come stealing food in 
this way ; take that—and that — and that!” 

Cook got hold of a broom and beat poor 
Pussy till the creature ran mewing away. She 
couldn’t speak, you know — unfortunate cat! 
and tell people it was Brownie who had done it 
all. 

Next night Cook thought she would make 
all safe and sure; so, instead of letting the cat 
sleep by the fire, she shut her up in the chilly 
coal-cellar, locked the door; put the key in her 
pocket, and went off to bed — leaving the 
supper as before. 

When Brownie woke up and looked out 
of his hole, there was, as usual, no supper for 
him, and the cellar was shut close. 

He peered about, to try and find some 


20 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


cranny under the door to creep out at, but 
there was none. And he felt so hungry that 
he could almost have eaten the cat, who kept 
walking to and fro in a melancholy manner — 
only she was alive, and he couldn’t well eat her 
alive: besides, he knew she was old, and had 
an idea she might be tough; so he merely said 
politely, “How do you do, Mrs. Pussy?” to 
which she answered nothing — of course. 

Something must be done, and luckily 
Brownies can do things which nobody else can 
do. So he thought he would change himsell 
into a mouse, and gnaw a hole through the 
door. But then he suddenly remembered the 
cat, who, though he had decided not to eat her, 
might take this opportunity of eating him. So 
he thought it advisable to wait till she was 
fast asleep, which did not happen for a good 
while. 


THE ADVENTURES OF V BROWNIE. 


21 


At length, quite tired with walking about, 
Pussy turned round on her tail six times, 
curled down in a corner, and fell fast asleep. 

Immediately Brownie changed himself 
into the smallest mouse 

possible ; and taking care _ ___ 

not to make the least 



noise, gnawed a hole in 


the door, and squeezed ~ 

himself through, imme¬ 
diately turning into his proper shape 
again, for fear of accidents. 

The kitchen fire was at its last glimmer; 
but it showed a better supper than even last 
night, for the Cook had friends with her — a 
brother and two cousins — and they were 
exceedingly merry. 

The food they had left behind was enough 
for three Brownies at least, but this one 




22 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


managed to eat it all up. Only once, in trying 
to cut a great slice of beef, he let the carving, 
knife and fork fall with such a clatter, that 
Tiny the terrier, who was tied up at the foot of 
the stairs, began to bark furiously. However, 
he brought her her puppy, which had been left 
in a basket in a corner of the kitchen, and so 
succeeded in quieting her. 

After that he enjoyed himself amazingly, 
and made more marks than ever on the white 
table-cloth ; for he began jumping about like a 
pea on a platter, in order to make his partic- 
ularly large supper agree with him. 

Then, in the absence of the cat, he teased 
the puppy for an hour or two, till, hearing the 
clock strike five, he thought it as well to turn 
into a mouse again, and creep back cautiously 
into his cellar. 

He was only just in time, for Muff opened 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNfE. 


23 


one eye, and was just going to pounce upon 
him, when he changed himself back into a 
Brownie. 

She was so startled that she bounded 
away, her tail growing into twice its natural 
size, and her eyes gleaming like round green 
globes. But Brownie only said, “ Ha, ha, ho!” 
and walked deliberately into his hole. 

When Cook came down stairs and saw 
that the same thing had happened again — 
that the supper was all eaten, and the table¬ 
cloth blacker than ever with the extraordinary 
foot-marks, she was greatly puzzled. 

Who could have done it all? 

Not the cat, who came mewing out of the 
coal-cellar the minute she unlocked the door, 
Possibly a rat — but then would a rat have 
come within reach of Tiny ? 

“ It must have been Tiny herself, or her 


24 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


puppy,” which just came rolling out of its 
basket over Cook’s feet. “You little wretch! 
You and your mother are the greatest nuisance 
imaginable. I’ll punish you ! ” 

And, quite forgetting that Tiny had been 
safely tied up all night, and that her poor little 
puppy was so fat and helpless it could scarcely 
stand on its feet, to say nothing of jumping on 
chairs and tables, she gave them both such a 
thrashing that they ran howling out of the 
kitchen door, where the kind little kitchen- 
maid took them up in her arms. 

“ You ought to have beaten the Brownie, 
if you could catch him,” said she, in a whisper. 

“ He’ll do it again and again, you’ll see, for 
he can’t bear an untidy kitchen. You’d better 
do as poor old Cook did, and clear the 
supper things away, and put the odds and 
ends safe in the larder; also,” she added, 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 25 

mysteriously, “ if I were you, I’d put a bowl of 
milk behind the coal-cellar door.” 

“ Nonsense ! ” answered the young Cook, 
and flounced away. But afterward she thought 
better of it, and did as she was advised, 
grumbling all the time, but doing it. 

Next morning the milk was gone. Per¬ 
haps Brownie had drunk it up, anyhow nobody 
could say that he hadn’t. As for the supper, 
Cook having safely laid it on the shelves of 
the larder, nobody touched it. And the table¬ 
cloth, which was wrapped v.p tidily and put in 
the dresser drawer, came out as clean as ever, 
with not a single black foot-mark on it. 

No mischief being done, the cat and the 
dog both escaped beating, and Brownie played 
no more tricks with anybody — till the next 


time. 



Biggest fruit always grows highest. 














ADVENTURE THE SECOND. 

BROWNIE AND THE CHERRY-TREE. 

The “ next time ” was quick in coming, 
which was not wonderful, considering there 
was a Brownie in the house. Otherwise the 
house was like most other houses, and the 
family like most other families. The children, 
also: they were sometimes good, sometimes 
naughty, like other children ; but, on the whole, 
they deserved to have the pleasure of a Brownie 
to play with them, as they declared he did — 
many and many a time. 

A favorite play-place was the orchard, 

27 


28 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


where grew the biggest cherry-tree you ever 
saw. 

They called it their “ castle,” because it 
rose up ten feet from the ground in one thick 
stem, and then branched out into a circle of 
boughs, with a flat place in the middle, where 
two or three children could sit at once. There 
they often did sit, turn by turn, or one at a 
time — sometimes with a book, reading; and 
the biggest boy made a sort of rope-ladder by 
which they could climb up and down — which 
they did all winter, and enjoyed their “ castle ” 
very much. 

But one day in spring they found their 
ladder cut away! 

The Gardener had done it, saying it 
injured the tree, which was just coming into 
blossom. 

Now the Gardener was rather a gruff man, 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


29 


with a growling voice. He did not mean to 
be unkind, but he disliked children ; he said 
they bothered him. But when they complained 
to their mother about the ladder, she agreed 
with Gardener that the tree must not be 
injured, as it bore the biggest cherries in all 
the neighborhood,— so big that the old saying 
of “ taking two bites at a cherry,” came really 
true. 

“Wait till the cherries are ripe,” said she; 
and so the little people waited, and watched it 
through its leafing and blossoming — such 
sheets of blossom, white as snow! — till the 
fruit began to show, and grew large and red 
on every bough. 

At last one morning the mother said, 
“ Should you like to help gather the cherries 
to-day ? ” 

“ Hurrah ! ” they cried, “ and not a day too 


30 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNlE. 


soon; for we saw a flock of birds in the next 
field — and if we don’t clear the tree, they 
will.” 

“ Very well; clear it, then. Only mind 
and fill my basket quite full, for preserving. 
What is over you may eat, if you like.” 

“ Thank you, thank you ! ” and the chil¬ 
dren were eager to be off; but the mother 
stopped them till she could get the Gardener 
and his ladder 

“ For it is he must climb the tree, not 
you; and you must do exactly as he tells you; 
and he will stop with you all the time, and see 
that you don’t come to harm.” 

This was no slight cloud on the children’s 
happiness, and they begged hard to go alone. 

“ Please, might we ? We will be so good!” 

The mother shook her head. All the 
goodness in the world would not help them if 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


31 


they tumbled off the tree, or ate themselves 
sick with cherries. “ You would not be safe, 
and I should be so unhappy ! ” 

To make mother “unhappy” was the 
worst rebuke possible to these children ; so 
they choked down their disappointment, and 
followed the Gardener as he walked on ahead, 
carrying his ladder on his shoulder. He looked 
very cross, and as if he did not like the 
children’s company at all. 

They were pretty good, on the whole, 
though they chattered a good deal; but 
Gardener said not a word to them all the way 
to the orchard. 

When they reached it, he just told them 
to “ keep out of his way and not worrit him,” 
which they politely promised, saying among 
themselves that they should not enjoy their 
cherry-gathering at all. But children who 


32 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


make the best of things, and try to be as good 
as they can, sometimes have fun unawares. 

When the Gardener was steadying his 
ladder against the trunk of the cherry-tree, 
there was suddenly heard the barking of a dog, 
and a very fierce dog, too. First it seemed 
close beside them, then in the flower-garden, 
then in the fowl-yard. 

Gardener dropped the ladder out of his 
hands. ‘‘It’s that Boxer! He has got loose 
again ! He will be running after my chickens, 
and dragging his broken chain all over my 
borders. And he is so fierce, and so delighted 
to get free. He’ll bite anybody who ties him 
up, except me.” 

“ Hadn’t you better go and see after him ? ” 

Gardener thought it was the eldest boy 
who spoke, and turned angrily around ; but the 
little fellow had never opened his lips. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


35 


Here there was heard a still louder bark; 
and from a quite different part of the garden. 

“There he is — I’m sure of it! jumping 
over my bedding-out plants, and breaking my 
cucumber frames. Bother the dog! — just 
let me catch him ! ” 

Off Gardener darted in a violent passion, 
throwing the ladder down upon the grass, and 
forgetting all about the cherries and the 
children. 

The instant he was gone, a shrill laugh, 
loud and merry, was heard close by, and a little 
brown old man’s face peeped from behind the 
cherry-tree. 

“ How dye do?— Boxer was me. Didn’t 
I bark well? Now I’m come to play with 
you.” 

The children clapped their hands; for 
they knew they were going to have some fun 


34 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


if Brownie was there—he was the best little 
playfellow in the world. And then they had 
him all to themselves. Nobody ever saw him 
except the children. 

“ Come on ! ” cried he, in his shrill voice, 
half like an old man’s, half like a baby’s, 
“Who’ll begin to gather the cherries ? ” 

They all looked blank; for the tree was 
so high to where the branches sprung, and 
besides, their mother had said they were not to 
climb. And the ladder lay flat upon the grass 
—far too heavy for little hands to move. 

“ What! you big boys don’t expect a poor 
little fellow like me to lift the ladder all by 
myself? Try! I’ll help you.” 

Whether he helped or not, no sooner had 
they taken hold of the ladder than it rose up, 
almost of its own accord, and fixed itself quite 
safely against the tree. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


35 


“ But we must not climb — mother told us 
not,” said the boys, ruefully. “ Mother said we 
were to stand at the bottom and pick up the 
cherries.” “ Very well. Obey your mother. 
I’ll just run up the tree myself.” 

Before the words were out of his mouth 
Brownie had darted up the ladder like a 
monkey, and disappeared among the fruit-laden 
branches. 

The children looked dismayed for a minute, 
till they saw the merry brown face peeping out 
from the green leaves at the very top of the tree. 

“ Biggest fruit always grows highest,” 
cried the Brownie. “ Stand in a row, all you 
children. Little boys, hold out your caps; 
little girls, make a bag of your pinafores. 
Open your mouths and shut your eyes, and set 
what the queen will send you.” 

They laughed and did as they were told ; 



The cherries showered down. 













THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


37 


whereupon they were drowned in a shower of 
cherries — cherries falling like hailstones, hit¬ 
ting them on their heads, their cheeks, their 
noses — filling their caps and pinafores, and 
then rolling and tumbling on the grass, till it 
was strewn thick as leaves in autumn with the 
rosy fruit. 

What a glorious scramble they had — 
these three little boys and three little girls ! 
How they laughed and jumped and knocked 
heads together in picking up the cherries, yet 
never quarreled — for there were such heaps, 
it would have been ridiculous to squabble over 
them ; and besides, whenever they began to 
quarrel, Brownie always ran away. Now he 
was the merriest of the lot: ran up and down 
the tree like a cat, helped to pick up the 
cherries, and was first-rate at filling the large 
market-basket. 


gg thk ! adventures of a brownie. 

“ We were to eat as many as we liked, 
only we must first fill the basket,” conscien¬ 
tiously said the eldest girl; upon which they 
all set to at once, and filled it to the brim. 

“ Now we’ll have a dinner-party,” cried the 
Brownie; and squatted down like a Turk, 
crossing his queer little legs, and sticking his 
elbows upon his knees, in a way nobody but a 
Brownie could manage. “Sit in a ring! sit in 
a ring! and we’ll see who can eat fastest.” 

The children obeyed. How many cherries 
they devoured, and how fast they did it, passes 
my capacity of telling. I only hope they were 
not ill next day, and that all the cherry-stones 
they swallowed by mistake did not disagree 
with them. But perhaps nothing does disagree 
with one when one dines with a Brownie. They 
ate so much, laughing in equal proportion, that 
they had quite forgotten the Gardener — when, 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


39 


all of a sudden, they heard him clicking angrily 
the orchard gate, and talking to himself as he 
walked through. 

“ That nasty dog! It wasn’t Boxer, after 
all. A nice joke ! to find him quietly asleep in 
his kennel after having hunted him, as I 
thought, from one end of the garden to the 
other! Now for the cherries and the children 
— bless us, where are the children ? And the 
cherries ! Why, the tree is as bare as a black¬ 
thorn in February! The starlings have been 
at it, after all. Oh dear! oh dear! ” 

“ Oh dear! oh dear!” echoed a voice from 
behind the tree, followed by shouts of mocking 
laughter. Not from the children — they sat as 
demure as possible, all in a ring, with their 
hands before them, and in the center the huge 
basket of cherries, piled as full as it could possi¬ 
bly hold. But the Brownie had disappeared. 


40 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


“You naughty brats, I’ll have you pun¬ 
ished! ” cried the Gardener, furious at the 
laughter, for he never laughed himself. But 
as there was nothing wrong; the cherries 
being gathered — a very large crop — and the 
ladder found safe in its place — it was difficult 
to say what had been the harm done and who 
had done it. 

So he went growling back to the house, 
carrying the cherries to the mistress, who 
coaxed him into good temper again, as she 
sometimes did ; bidding also the children to 
behave well to him, since he was an old man, 
and really not bad — only cross. 

As for the little folks, she had not the 
slightest intention of punishing them; and, as 
for Brownie, it was impossible to catch him. 
So nobody was punished at all. 



ADVENTURE THE THIRD. 

BROWNIE IN THE FARM-YARD. 

Which was a place where he did not 
often go, for he preferred being warm and 
snug in the house. But when he felt himselt 
ill-used, he would wander anywhere, in order to 
play tricks upon those whom he thought had 
done him harm; for, being only a Brownie, 
and not a man, he did not understand that the 
best way to revenge yourself upon your 

41 





42 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


enemies is either to let them alone or to pay 
them back good for evil — it disappoints them 
so much, and makes them so exceedingly 
ashamed of themselves. 

One day Brownie overheard the Gardener 
advising the Cook to put sour milk into his 
bowl at night, instead of sweet. 

“ He’d never find out the difference, no 
more than the pigs do. Indeed, it’s my belief 
that a pig, or dog, or something, empties the 
bowl, and not a Brownie, at all. It’s just clean 
waste—that’s what I say.” 

“ Then you’d better hold your tongue, and 
mind your own business,” returned the Cook, 
who was of a sharp temper, and would not 
stand being meddled with. 

She began to abuse the Gardener soundly ; 
but his wife, who was standing by, took his 
part, as she always did when any third party 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


43 


scolded him. So they all squabbled together, 
till Brownie, hid under his coal, put his little 
hands over his little ears. 

“ Dear me, what a noise these mortals do 
make when they quarrel! They quite deafen 
me. I must teach them better manners.” 

But when Cook slammed the door to, 
and left Gardener and his wife alone, they too 
began to dispute between themselves. 

“ You make such a fuss over your nasty 
pigs, and get all the scraps for them,” said his 
wife. “ It’s of much more importance that I 
should have everything Cook can spare for my 
chickens. Never were such chickens as my 
last brood! ” 

“ I thought they were ducklings.” 

“ How you catch me up, you rude old 
man ! They are ducklings, and beauties, too— 
even though they have never seen water. 


44 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


Where’s the pond you promised to make for 
me, I wonder?” 

“ Rubbish, woman ! If my cows do with¬ 
out a pond, your ducklings may. And why 
will you be so silly as to rear ducklings at all ? 
Fine fat chickens are a deal better. You’ll 
find out your mistake some day.” 

“ And so will you when that old Alderney 
runs dry. You’ll wish you had taken my 
advice, and fattened and sold her.” 

“ Alderney cows won’t sell for fattening, 
and women’s advice is never worth two-pence. 
Yours isn’t worth even a half-penny. What 
are you laughing at?” 

“ I wasn’t laughing,” said the wife, 
angrily; and, in truth, it was not she, but little 
Brownie, running under the barrow which the 
Gardener was wheeling along, and very much 
amused that people should be so silly as to 
squabble about nothing. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


45 


It was still early morning; for, whatever 
this old couple’s faults might be, laziness was 
not one of them. 

The wife rose with the dawn to feed her 
poultry and collect her eggs ; the husband also 
got through as much work by breakfast-time as 
many an idle man does by noon. But Brownie 
had been beforehand with them this day. 

When all the fowls came running to be 
fed, the big Brahma hen who had hatched the 
ducklings was seen wandering forlornly about, 
and clucking mournfully for her young brood 
— she could not find them anywhere. 

Had she been able to speak, she might 
have told how a large white duck had 
waddled into the farm-yard, and waddled 
out again, coaxing them after her, no doubt in 
search of a pond. But missing they were, 
most certainly. 


46 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


41 Cluck, cluck, cluck! ” mourned the 
miserable hen-mother — and, “Oh, my duck¬ 
lings, my ducklings! ” cried the Gardener’s 
wife—“Who can have carried off my beautiful 
ducklings ? ” 

“ Rats, maybe,” said the Gardener, cruelly, 
as he walked away. And as he went he heard 
the squeak of a rat below his wheelbarrow. 
But he could not catch it, any more than his 
wife could catch the white duck. Of course 
not. Both were — the Brownie! 

Just at this moment the six little people 
came running into the farm-yard. When they 
had been particularly good, they were some¬ 
times allowed to go with Gardener a-milking, 
each carrying his or her own mug for a drink 
of milk, warm from the cow. They scampered 
after him — a noisy tribe, begging to be taken 
down to the field, and holding out their six 
mugs 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


47 


“What! six cupfuls of milk, when I 
haven’t a drop to spare, and Cook is always 
wanting more? Ridiculous nonsense! Get 
along with you ; you may come to the field — 
I can’t hinder that — but you’ll get no milk 
this day. Take your mugs back again to the 
kitchen. 

The poor little folks made the best of a 
bad business, and obeyed ; then followed Gar¬ 
dener down to the field, rather dolefully. 

But it was such a beautiful morning that 
they soon recovered their spirits. The grass 
shone with dew, like a sheet of diamonds, the 
clover smelled so sweet, and two skylarks 
were singing at one another high up in the 
sky. 

Several rabbits darted past, to their great 
amusement, especially one very large rabbit — 
brown, not gray — which dodged them in and 


48 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


out, and once nearly threw Gardener down, 
pail and all, by running across his feet; which 
set them all laughing, till they came where 
Dolly, the cow, lay chewing her cud under a 
large oak-tree. 

It was great fun to stir her up, as usual, 
and lie down, one after another, in the place 
where she had lain all night long, making the 
grass flat, and warm, and perfumy with her 
sweet breath. She let them do it, and then 
stood meekly by; for Dolly was the gentlest 
cow in the world. 

But this morning something strange 
seemed to possess her. She altogether refused 
to be milked — kicked, plunged, tossed over 
the pail, which was luckily empty. 

“ Bless the cow ! what’s wrong with her? 
It’s surely you children’s fault. Stand off, the 
whole lot of you. Soh, Dolly I good Dolly!” 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


49 


But Dolly was anything but good, She 
stood twitching her tail, and looking as savage 
as so mild an animal possibly could look. 

“It’s all your doing, you naughty children. 
You have been playing her some trick, I 
know,” cried the Gardener, in great wrath. 

They assured him they had done nothing, 
and, indeed, they looked as quiet as mice and 
as innocent as lambs. At length the biggest 
boy pointed out a large wasp which had settled 
in Dolly’s ear. 

“ That accounts for everything,” said the 
Gardener. 

But it did not mend everything; for when 
he tried to drive it away it kept coming back 
and back again, and buzzing around his own 
head and the cow’s, with a voice that the chil¬ 
dren thought was less like the buzz of a wasp 
than the sound of a person laughing. At 


50 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


length it frightened Dolly to such an extent 
that, with one wild bound she darted right 
away, and galloped off to the further end of 
the field. 

“ I’ll get a rope and tie her legs together,” 
cried the Gardener, fiercely. “ She shall repent 
giving me all this trouble — that she shall!” 

“ Ha, ha, ha! ” laughed somebody. The 
Gardener thought it was the children, and gave 
one of them an angry cuff as he walked away. 

But they knew it was somebody else, and 
were not at all surprised when, the minute his 
back was turned, Dolly came walking quietly 
back, led by a little wee brown man who 
scarcely reached up to her knees. Yet she 
let him guide her, which he did as gently as 
possible, though the string he held her by was 
no thicker than a spider’s web, floating from 
one of her horns. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


51 


“ Soh, Dolly! good Dolly! ” cried Brownie, 
mimicking the Gardener’s voice. “ Now we’ll 
see what we can do. I want my breakfast 
badly — don’t you, little folks?’ 

Of course they did, for the morning air 
made them very hungry. 

“Very well — wait a bit, though. Old 
people should be served first, you know. 
Besides, I want to go to bed.’’ 

Go to bed in the daylight! The children 
all laughed, and then looked quite shy and 
sorry, lest they might have seemed rude to the 
little Brownie. But he — he liked fun; and 
never took offense when none was meant. 

He placed himself on the milking-stool, 
which was so high that his little legs were 
dangling half-way down, and milked and 
milked — Dolly standing as still as possible — 
till he had filled the whole pail. Most aston- 


52 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


ishing cow! she gave as much as two cows; 
and such delicious milk as it was — all frothing 
and yellow — richer than even Dolly’s milk 
had ever been before. The children’s mouths 
watered for it, but not a word said they— even 
when, instead of giving it to them, Brownie 
put his own mouth to the pail, and drank and 
drank, till it seemed as if he were never going 
to stop. But it was decidedly a relief to them 
when he popped his head up again, and lo! 
the pail was as full as ever! 

“ Now, little ones, now’s your turn. 
Where are your mugs ? ” 

All answered mournfully, “ Weve got 
none. Gardener made us take them back 
again.” 

“Never mind — all right. Gather me 
half a dozen of the biggest buttercups you 
can find.” 



Brownie's mugs, 














54 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


“ What nonsense ! ” thought the children; 
but they did it. Brownie laid the flowers in a 
row upon the eldest girl’s lap — blew upon 
them one by one, and each turned into the 
most beautiful golden cup that ever was seen ! 

“ Now, then, every one take his own mug, 
and I’ll fill it.” 

He milked away — each child got a drink, 
and then the cups were filled again. And all 
the while Dolly stood as quiet as possible — 
looking benignly round, as if she would be 
happy to supply milk to the whole parish, if 
the Brownie desired it. 

“ Soh, Dolly! Thank you, Dolly!” said 
he again, mimicking the Gardener’s voice, half 
growling, half coaxing. And while he spoke, 
the real voice was heard behind the hedge. 

There was a sound as of a great wasp 
flying away, which made Dolly prick up her 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


55 


ears, and look as if the old savageness was 
coming back upon her. 

The children snatched up their mugs, but 
there was no need, they had all turned into 
buttercups again. 

Gardener jumped over the stile, as cross 
as two sticks, with an old rope in his hand. 

“ Oh, what a bother I’ve had! Breakfast 
ready, and no milk yet—and such a row as they 
are making over those lost ducklings. Stand 
back, you children, and don’t hinder me a 
minute. No use begging — not a drop of milk 
shall you get. Hillo, Dolly ? Quiet, old girl! ” 

Quiet enough she was this time — but 
you might as well have milked a wooden 
cow. Not one ringing drop resounded against 
the empty pail; for, when they peeped in, 
the children saw, to their amazement, that it 
was empty, 


56 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE 


“ The creature’s bewitched! ” cried the 
Gardener, in a great fury. “ Or else somebody 
has milked her dry already. Have you done 
it? or you ? ” he asked each of the children. 

They might have said, No — which was 
the literal truth — but then it would not have 
been the whole truth, for they knew quite well 
that Dolly had been milked, and also who had 
done it. And their mother had always taught 
them that to make a person believe a lie is 
nearly as bad as telling him one. Yet still 
they did not like to betray the kind little 
Brownie. 

Greatly puzzled, they hung their heads 
and said nothing. 

“ Look in your pail again,” cried a voice 
from the other side of Dolly. And there at 
the bottom was just the usual quantity of 
milk — no more and no less. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


57 


The Gardener was very much astonished. 

“ It must be the Brownie! ” muttered he, in 
a frightened tone; and, taking off his hat, 
“Thank you, sir,” said he to Mr. Nobody — at 
which the children all burst out laughing. 
But they kept their own counsel, and he was 
afraid to ask them any more questions. 

By-and-by, his fright wore off a little. “ I 
only hope the milk is good milk, and will 
poison nobody,” said he, sulkily. “ However, 
that’s not my affair. You children had better 
tell your mother all about it. I left her in the 
farm-yard in a pretty state of mind about her 
ducklings.” 

Perhaps Brownie heard this and was 
sorry, for he liked the children’s mother, who 
had always been kind to him. 

Besides, he never did anybody harm who 
did not deserve it; and, though being a 


58 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


Brownie, he could hardly be said to have a 
conscience, he had something which stood in 
the place of one — a liking to see people happy 
rather than miserable. 

So, instead of going to bed under his big 
coal, for the day; when, after breakfast, the 
children and their mother came out to look at 
a new brood of chickens, he crept after them 
and hid behind the hen-coop, where the old 
mother-hen was put, with her young ones 
round her. 

There had been great difficulty in getting 
her in there, for she was a hen who hatched 
her brood on independent principles. 

Instead of sitting upon the nice nest that 
the Gardener made for her, she had twice gone 
into a little wood close by and made a nest for 
herself, which nobody could ever find; and 
where she hatched in secret, coming every 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


59 


second day to be fed, and then vanishing again, 
till at last she re-appeared in triumph, with her 
chickens running after her. 

The first brood there had been twelve, but 
of this there were fourteen — all from her own 



eggs, of course, and she was uncommonly 
proud of them. So was the Gardener, so was 
the mistress — who liked all young things. 

Such a picture as they were! fourteen 
soft, yellow, fluffy things, running about after 
their mother. It had been a most troublesome 


60 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


business to catch—first her, and then them, to 
put them under the coop. 

The old hen resisted, and pecked furiously 
at Gardener’s legs, and the chickens ran about 
in frantic terror, chirping wildly in answer to 
her clucking. 

At last, however, the little family was safe 
in shelter, and the chickens counted over to 
see that none had got lost in the scuffle. 

How funny they were! looking so innocent 
and yet so wise, as chickens do — peering out 
at the world from under their mother’s wing, 
or hopping over her back, or snuggled all 
together under her breast, so that nothing was 
seen of them but a mass of yellow legs, like a 
great centipede. 

“ How happy the old hen is,” said the 
children’s mother, looking on, and then looking 
compassionately at that other forlorn old hen, 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


61 


who had hatched the ducklings, and kept 
wandering about the farm-yard, clucking 
miserably, “ Those poor ducklings, what can 
have become of them? If the rats killed them, 
we should have found feathers or something; 
and weasels would have sucked their blood 
and left them. They must have been,stolen, 
or wandered away, and died of cold and hunger 
— my poor ducklings ! ” 

The mistress sighed, for she could not 
bear any living thing to suffer. And the 
children nearly cried at the thought of what 
might be happening to their pretty ducklings. 

That very minute a little wee brown face 
peered through a hole in the hen-coop, making 
the old mother-hen fly furiously at it — as she 
did at the slightest shadow of an enemy to her 
little ones. 

However, no harm happened—only a 


62 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


guinea-fowl suddenly ran across the farm-yard, 
screaming in its usual harsh voice. But it 
was not the usual sort of guinea-fowl, being 
larger and handsomer than any of theirs. 

“ Oh, what a beauty of a creature! how 
did it ever come into our farm-yard,” cried the 
delighted children ; and started off after it, to 
catch it if possible. 

But they ran, and they ran — through the 
gate and out into the lane; and the guinea-fowl 
still ran on before them, until, turning round a 
corner, they lost sight of it, and immediately 
saw something else, equally as curious. 

Sitting on the top of a big thistle — so 
big that he must have had to climb it just like 
a tree — was the Brownie. His legs were 
crossed, and his arms too ; his little brown cap 
was stuck knowingly on one side, and he was 
laughing heartily. 


Brownie sot on a big thistle. 









64 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


“ How do you do? Here I am again. I 
thought I wouldn’t go to bed after all. Shall 
I help you find the ducklings ? Very well! 
come along.” 

They crossed the field, Brownie running 
beside them, and as fast as they could, though 
he looked such an old man ; and sometimes 
turning over on legs and arms like a wheel — 
which they tried to imitate, but generally 
failed, and only bruised their fingers and 
noses. 

He lured them on and on till they came to 
the wood, and to a green path in it, which, 
well as they knew the neighborhood, none of 
the children had ever seen before. It led to a 
most beautiful pond, as clear as crystal and as 
blue as the sky. Large trees grew round it, 
dipping their branches in the water, as if they 
were looking at themselves in a glass. And 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


65 


all about their roots were quantities of violets 
— the biggest violets the little girls had ever 
seen. Down they dropped on their fat knees, 
squashing down more violets than they 
gathered, though they tried to gather them all; 
and the smallest child even began to cry 
because her hands were so full that the flowers 
dropped through her fingers. But the boys 
older and more practical, rather despised 
violets. 

“ I thought we had come to look for 
ducklings,” said the eldest. “ Mother is fretting 
dreadfully about her ducklings. Where can 
they be ? ” 

“ Shut your eyes and you’ll see,” said the 
Brownie, at which they all laughed, but did it; 
and when they opened their eyes again, what 
should they behold but a whole fleet of 
ducklings sailing out from the roots of. an old 


66 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


willow-tree, one after the other, looking as fat 
and content as possible, and swimming as 
naturally as if they lived on a pond — and this 
particular pond, all their days. 

“ Count them/’ said the Brownie, “ the 



whole eight — quite correct. And then try 
and catch them—if you can.” 

Easier said than done, The boys set to 
work with great satisfaction — boys do so 
enjoy hunting something. They coaxed them 
— they shouted at them — they threw little 
sticks at them ; but as soon as they wanted 




THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


67 


them to go one way the fleet of ducklings 
immediately turned round and sailed another 
way, doing it so deliberately and majestically, 
that the children could not help laughing. 

As for little Brownie, he sat on a branch 
of the willow-tree, with his feet dangling down 
to the surface of the pond, kicking at the water 
spiders, and grinning with all his might. 

At length, quite tired out, in spite of their 
fun, the children begged for his help, and he 
took compassion on them. 

“Turn round three times, and see what 
you can find,” shouted he. 

Immediately each little boy found in his 
arms, and each little girl in her pinafore, a fine 
fat duckling. And there being eight of them, 
the two elder children had each a couple. 
They were rather cold and damp, and slightly 
uncomfortable to cuddle, ducks not being used 


68 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


to cuddling. Poor things! they struggled 
hard to get away. 

But the children hugged them tight, and 
ran as fast as their legs could carry them 
through the woods, forgetting, in their joy, 
even to say “Thank you ” to the little Brownie. 

When they reached their mother she was 
as glad as they, for she never thought to see 
her ducklings again; and to have them back 
all alive and uninjured, and watch them 
running to the old hen, — who received them 
with such delight,—-was so exciting, that 
nobody thought of asking a single question as 
to where they had been found. 

When the mother did ask, the children 
told her all about Brownies taking them to the 
beautiful pond — and what a wonderful pond 
it was ; how green the trees were round it; 
and how large the violets grew. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


69 


They never tired of talking about it and 
seeking for it. But the odd thing was that, 
seek as they might, they never could find it 
again. 

Many a day did the little people roam 
about, one by one, or all together, round the 
wood, and across the wood, and up and 
down the wood, often getting themselves sadly 
draggled with mud and torn with brambles — 
but the beautiful pond they never found again. 

Nor did the ducklings, I suppose; for 
they wandered no more from the farm-yard, to 
the old mother-hen’s great content. They grew 
up into fat and respectable ducks—five 
white ones and three grey ones — waddling 
about, very content, though they never saw 
water, except the tank which was placed for 
them to paddle in. 

They lived a lazy, peaceful, pleasant life, 


70 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


for a long time, and were at last killed and 
eaten with green peas, one after the other, to 
the family’s great satisfaction, if not to their 
own. 





ADVENTURE THE FOURTH. 


brownie’s ride. 

For the little Brownie, though not given 
to horsemanship, did once take a ride, and a 
very remarkable one it was. Shall I tell you 
all about it? 

The six little children got a present ol 
something they had longed for all their lives— 
a pony. Not a rocking-horse, but a real live 
pony — a Shetland pony, too, which had 
traveled all the way from the Shetland Isles 
to their home in Devonshire, England — 
where everybody wondered at it, for such a 
creature had not been seen in the neighbor¬ 
hood for years and years. She was no bigger 
than a donkey, and her coat, instead of being 
smooth like a horse, was shaggy like a young 

71 



She warmed her nose at the fire. 


























































































































THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


73 


bear’s. She had a long tail, which had never 
been cut, and such a deal of hair in her mane 
and over her eyes that it gave her quite a 
fierce countenance. In fact, among the wild 
and tame Devonshire beasts, the little Shet¬ 
land pony looked almost like a wild animal. 
But in reality she was the gentlest creature in 
the world. 

Before she had been many days with 
them, she began to know the children quite 
well; followed them about, ate corn out of the 
bowl they held out to her; nay, one day, when 
the eldest little girl offered her bread-and- 
butter, she stooped her head and took it from 
the child’s hand, just like a young lady. 

Indeed, Jess — that was her name — was 
altogether so lady-like in her behavior, that 
more than once Cook allowed her to walk in 
at the back door, when she stood politely 


74 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


warming her nose at the kitchen fire for a 
minute or two, then turned round and as 
politely walked out again. 

But she never did any mischief; and was 
so quiet and gentle a creature that she bade 
fair soon to become as great a pet in the 
household as the dog, the cat, the kittens, the 
puppies, the fowls, the ducks, the cow, the pig, 
and all the other members of the family. 

The only one who disliked her, and 
grumbled at her, was the Gardener. This 
was odd; because, though cross to children, 
the old man was kind to dumb beasts. Even 
his pig knew his voice and grunted, and held 
out his nose to be scratched; and he always 
gave each successive pig a name, Jack or 
Dick, and then called them by it, and was 
quite affectionate to them, one after the other, 
until the very day that they were killed. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


75 


But they were English pigs — and the 
pony was Scotch — and the Devonshire 
Gardener hated everything Scotch, he said; 
besides, he was not used to groom’s work, and 
the pony required such a deal of grooming on 
account of her long hair. 

More than once Gardener threatened to 
clip it short, and turn her into a regular 
English pony but the children were in such 
distress at this that the mistress and mother 
forbade any such spoiling of Jess’s personal 
appearance. 

At length, to keep things smooth, and to 
avoid the rough words and even blows which 
poor Jess sometimes got, they sought in the 
village for a boy to look after her, and found 
a great rough, shock-headed lad named Bill, 
who, for a dollar a week, consented to come 
up every morning and learn the beginning 


76 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


of a grooms business; hoping to end, as his 
mother said he should, in sitting, like the 
squire’s fat coachman, as broad as he was 
long, on the top of a grand carriage, and do 
nothing all day but drive a pair of horses as 
stout as himself a few miles along the road 
and back again. 

Bill would have liked this very much, he 
thought, if he could have been a coachman 
all at once, for if there was one thing he 
disliked it was work. 

He much preferred to lie in the sun all 
day and do nothing; and he only agreed to 
come and take care of Jess because she was 
such a very little pony, that looking after 
her seemed next door to doing nothing. But 
when he tried it, he found his mistake. 

True, Jess was a very gentle beast; so 
quiet that the old mother-hen with fourteen 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


77 


chicks used, instead of roosting with the rest 
of the fowls, to come regularly into the portion 
of the cow-shed which was partitioned off for 
a stable, and settle under a corner of Jess’s 
manger for the night; and in the morning the 
chicks would be seen running about fearlessly 
among her feet and under her very nose. 

But, for all that, she required a little 
management, for she did not like her long 
hair to be roughly handled; it took a long 
time to clean her; and though she did not 
scream out like some silly little children when 
her hair was combed, I am afraid she some¬ 
times kicked and bounced about, giving Bill 
a deal of trouble — all the more trouble, the 
more impatient Bill was. 

And then he had to keep within call, for 
the children wanted their pony at all hours. 
She was their own especial property, and they 



They were so happy to have a pony. 



















THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


79 


insisted upon learning to ride — even before 
they got a saddle. Hard work it was, to stick 
on Jess’s bare back, but by degrees the boys 
did it, turn and turn about, and even gave their 
sisters a turn too — a very little one — just 
once round the field and back again, which 
was quite enough, they considered, for girls. 

But they were very kind to their little 
sisters, held them on so that they could not 
fall, and led Jess carefully and quietly: and 
altogether behaved as elder brothers should. 

Nor did they squabble very much among 
themselves, though sometimes it was rather 
difficult to keep their turns all fair, and 
remember accurately which was which. But 
they did their best, being, on the whole, 
extremely good children. And they were so 
happy to have their pony, that they would 
have been ashamed to quarrel over her. 


80 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


Also, one very curious thing kept them 
on their good behavior. Whenever they did 
begin to misconduct themselves — to want to 
ride out of their turn, or to order one another, 
or the boys, joining together, tried to order 
around the girls, as I grieve to say boys not 
seldom do — they used to hear in the air, right 
over their heads, the crack of an unseen whip. 

It was none of theirs, for^ they had not 
got a whip; that was a prize which their 
father had promised them when they could 
all ride like young gentlemen and ladies; but 
there was no mistaking the sound—indeed, 
it always startled Jess so that she set off 
galloping, and could not be caught again for 
many minutes. 

This happened several times, until one 
of them said, “ Perhaps its the Brownie.” 

Whether it was or not, it made them 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


81 


behave better for a good while; till one unfor 
tunate day the two eldest began struggling 
as to which should ride foremost and which 
hindmost on Jess’s back, when “Crick — 
crack! ” went the whip in the air, frightening 
the pony so much that she kicked up her 
heels, tossed both the boys over her head, 
and scampered off, followed by a loud “ Ha, 
ha, ha!” 

It certainly did not come from the two 
boys, who had fallen — quite safely, but rather 
unpleasantly — into a large nettle-bed; whence 
they crawled out, rubbing their arms and legs, 
and looking too much ashamed to complain. 
But they were rather frightened and a little 
cross, for Jess took a skittish fit, and refused 
to be caught and mounted again, till the bell 
rang for school — when she grew as meek as 
possible. Too late —for the children were 


82 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


obliged to run indoors, and got no more rides 
for the whole day. 

Jess was from this incident supposed to 
be on the same friendly terms with Brownie 
as were the rest of the household. 

Indeed, when she came, the children had 
taken care to lead her up to the coal-cellar 
door and introduce her properly—for they 
knew Brownie was very jealous of strangers, 
and often played them tricks. 

But after that piece of civility he would 
be sure, they thought, to take her under his 
protection. And sometimes, when the little 
Shetlander was restless and pricked up her 
ears, looking preternaturally wise under those 
shaggy brows of hers, the children used to say 
to one another, “ Perhaps she sees the Brownie.” 

* Whether she did or not, Jess sometimes 
seemed to see a good deal that others did not 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


83 


see, and was apparently a favorite with the 
Brownie, for she grew and thrived so much 
that she soon became the pride and delight of 
the children and of the whole family. 

You would hardly have known her for 
the rough, shaggy, half-starved little beast that 
had arrived a few weeks before. 

Her coat was so silky, her limbs so 
graceful, and her head so full of intelligence, 
that everybody admired her. Then, even 
Gardener began to admire her too. 

“I think Til get upon her back; it will 
save me walking down to the village, said 
he, one day. And she actually carried him — 
though, as his feet nearly touched the ground, 
it looked as if the man were carrying the 
pony, and not the pony the man. And the 
children laughed so immoderately, that he 
never tried it afterward. 


84 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


Nor Bill neither, though he had once 
thought he should like a ride, and got astride 
on Jess; but she quickly ducked her head 
down, and he tumbled over it. Evidently she 
had her own tastes as to her riders, and much 
preferred little people to big ones. 

Pretty Jess! when cantering round the 
paddock with the young folk, she really was 
quite a picture. And when at last she got 
a saddle — a new, beautiful saddle, with a 
pommel to take off and on, so as to suit both 
boys and girls — how proud they all were, 
Jess included! 

That day they were allowed to take her 
into the market-town — Gardener leading her, 
as Bill could not be trusted — and everybody, 
even the blacksmith, who hoped by-and-by to 
have the pleasure of shoeing her, said, what a 
beautiful pony she was 1 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


85 


After this, Gardener treated Jess a great 
deal better, and showed Bill how to groom 
her, and kept him dose at it too, which Bill 
did not like at all. 

He was a very lazy lad, and when he 
could shirk work he did it; and many a time 
when the children wanted Jess, either there 
was nobody to saddle her, or she had not 
been properly groomed, or Bill was away at 
his dinner, and they had to wait till he came 
back and could put her in order to be taken 
out for a ride like a genteel animal — which 
I am afraid neither pony nor children enjoyed 
half so much as the old ways before Bill came. 

Still, they were gradually becoming excel¬ 
lent little horsemen and horsewomen—even 
the youngest, only four years old, whom all 
the rest were very tender over, and who was 
often held on Jess’s back and given a ride out 


86 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


of her turn because she was a good little girl, 
and never cried for it. And seldomer and 
seldomer was heard the mysterious sound of 
the whip in the air, which warned them of 
quarreling—Brownie hated quarreling. 

In fact, their only trouble was Bill, who 
never came to his work in time, and never did 
things when wanted, and was ill-natured, lazy, 
and cross to the children, so that they disliked 
him very much. 

“ I wish the Brownie would punish you,” 
said one of the boys; “ you’d behave better 
then.” 

“ The Brownie ! ” cried Bill, contemptu¬ 
ously; “ if I caught him, I’d kick him up in 
the air like this! ” 

And he kicked up his cap — his only cap, 
it was — which, strange to relate, flew right up, 
ever so high, and lodged at the very top of a 


THE ADVENTUKES OF A BROWNIE. 


87 


tree which overhung the stable, where it 
dangled for weeks and weeks, during which 
time poor Bill had to go bareheaded. 

He was very much vexed, and revenged 
himself by vexing the children in all sorts of 
ways. They would have told their mother, and 
asked her to send Bill away, only she had a 
great many anxieties just then, for their dear 
old grandmother was very ill, and they did not 
like to make a fuss about any thing that 
would trouble her. 

So Bill stayed on, and nobody found out 
what a bad, ill-natured, lazy boy he was. 

But one day the mother was sent for 
suddenly, not knowing when she should be 
able to come home again. 

She was very sad, and so were the 
children, for they loved their grandmother — 
and as the carriage drove off they all stood 


88 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


crying round the front door for ever so long. 

The servants even cried too — all but Bill. 
“ It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good,” 
said he. “What a jolly time I shall have. 
I’ll do nothing all day long. Those trouble 
some children shan’t have Jess to ride; Ill 
keep her in the stable, and then she won’t get 
dirty, and I shall have no trouble in cleaning 
her. Hurrah! what fun!” 

He put his hands in his pockets, and sat 
whistling the best part of the afternoon. 

The children had been so unhappy, that 
for that day they quite forgot Jess ; but next 
morning, after lessons were over, they came 
begging for a ride. 

“You can’t get one. The stable-door’s 
locked, and I’ve lost the key.” ( He had it in 
his pocket all the time.) 

“How is poor Jess to get her dinner?” 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


89 


cried a thoughtful little girl. “ Oh, how 
hungiy she will be!” 

And the child was quite in distress, as 
were the two other girls. But the boys were 
more angry than sorry. 

“It was very stupid of you, Bill, to lose 
the key. Look about and find it, or else break 
open the door.” 

“ I won’t” said Bill ; “ I dare say the key 
will turn up before night, and if it doesn’t 
who cares? You get riding enough and too 
much. I’ll not bother myself about it, nor Jess 
either.” 

And Bill sauntered away. He was a big 
fellow, and the little lads were rather afraid of 
him. But as he walked, he could not keep his 
hand out of his pants-pocket, where the key 
felt growing heavier and heavier, till he 
expected it every minute to tumble through 


90 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


and come out at his boots—convicting him 
before all the children of having told a lie. 

Nobody was in the habit of telling lies to 
them, so they never suspected him, but went 
innocently searching about for the key — Bill 
all the time clutching it fast. But every time 
he touched it, he felt his fingers pinched, as if 
there was a cockroach in his pocket — or a 
little lobster — or something, anyhow, that had 
claws. 

At last, fairly frightened, he made an 
excuse to go into the cow-shed, took the key 
out of his pocket and looked at it, and finally 
hid it in a corner of the manger, among the 
hay. 

As he did so, he heard a most extra¬ 
ordinary laugh, which was certainly not from 
Dolly the cow, and, as he went out of the shed, 
he felt the same sort of pinch at his ankles, 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


91 


which made him so angry that he kept striking 
with his whip in all directions, but hit nobody, 
for nobody was there. 

But Jess — who, as soon as she heard the 
children’s voices, had set up a most melancholy 
whinnying behind the locked stable-door — 
began to neigh energetically. And Boxer 
barked, and the hens cackled, and the guinea- 
fowls cried “ Come back, come back ! ” in their 
usual insane fashion—indeed, the whole farm¬ 
yard seemed in such an excited state, that the 
children got frightened lest Gardener should 
scold them, and they ran away, leaving Bill 
master of the field. 

What an idle day he had ! How he sat 
on the wall with his hands in his pockets, and 
lounged upon the fence, and sauntered round 
the garden! At length, absolutely tired of 
doing nothing, he went and talked with the 


92 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


Gardener’s wife while she was hanging out her 
clothes. 

Gardener had gone down to the lower 
field, with all the little folks after him, so he 
knew nothing of Bill’s idling, or it might have 
come to an end. 

By-and-by, Bill thought it was time to go 
home to his supper. “ But first I’ll give Jess 
her corn,” said he, “ double quantity, and then 
I need not come back to give her her breakfast 
so early in the morning. Soh! you greedy 
beast! I’ll be at you presently, if you don’t 
stop that noise.” 

For Jess, at sound of his footsteps, was 
heard to whinny in the most imploring manner, 
enough to have melted a heart of stone. 

“The key — where on earth did I put the 
key?” cried Bill, whose constant habit was to 
lay things out of his hand and then forget 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


93 


where he had put them, causing himself 
endless loss of time in searching for them — as 
now. At last he suddenly remembered the 
corner of the cow’s manger, where he felt sure 
he had left it. But the key was not there. 

“You can’t have eaten it, you silly old 
cow,” said he, striking old Dolly on the nose as 
she rubbed herself against him — she was an 
affectionate beast. “ Nor you, you stupid old 
hen! ” kicking the mother of the brood, who, 
with her fourteen chicks, being shut out of 
her usual roosting-place — Jess’s stable — kept 
pecking about under Dolly’s legs. “ It can’t 
have gone without hands — of course it can’t.” 
But most certainly the key was gone. 

What in the world should Bill do ? 

Jess kept on making a pitiful complaining. 
No wonder, as she had tasted no food since 
morning. It would have made any kind- 


94 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNJE. 


hearted person quite sad to hear her, thinking 
how exceedingly hungry the poor pony must be. 

Little did Bill care for that, or for any 
thing, except that he should be sure to get 
into trouble as soon as he was found out. 

When he heard Gardener coming into the 
farm-yard, with the children after him, Bill 
bolted over the wall like a flash of lightning, 
and ran away home, leaving poor Jess to her 
fate. 

All the way he seemed to hear at his heels 
a little dog yelping, and then a swarm of gnats 
buzzing round his head, and altogether was so 
perplexed and bewildered, that when he got 
into his mothers cottage he escaped into bed, 
and pulled the blanket over his ears, to shut 
out the noise of the dogs and the gnats, which 
at last turned into a sound like somebody 
laughing. It was not his mother, she didn’t 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


95 


often laugh, poor soul!—Bill bothered her 
quite too much for that, and he knew it. 

Dreadfully frightened, he hid his head 
under the bed-clothes, determined to go to 
sleep and think about nothing till next day. 

Meantime Gardener returned, with all the 
little people trooping after him. He had been 
rather kinder to them than usual this day, 
because he knew their mother had gone away 
in trouble, and now he let them help him 
to roll the gravel, and fetch up Dolly to be 
milked, and watch him milk her in the cow¬ 
shed — where, it being nearly winter, she always 
spent the night now. 

They were so well amused that they 
forgot all about their disappointment as to the 
ride, and Jess did not remind them of it by her 
whinnying. For as soon as Bill was gone she 
grew quite silent. 


96 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


At last one little girl, the one who had 
cried over Jess’s being left hungry, remembered 
the poor pony, and, peeping through a crevice 
in the cow-shed, saw her standing contentedly 
munching at a large bowlful of corn. 

“ So Bill did find the key. I’m so glad,” 
thought the kind little maiden, and to make 
sure looked again, when — what do you think 
she beheld squatting on the manger? Some¬ 
thing brown — either a large brown rat, or a 
small brown man. But she held her tongue, 
since, being a very little girl, people sometimes 
laughed at her for the strange things she saw. 
She was quite certain she did see them, for all 
that. 

So she and the rest of the children went 
indoors and to bed. 

Wnen they were fast asleep, something 
happened. Something so curious, that the 


THE ADVENTURES OP A BROWNIE. 


»7 


youngest boy, who, thinking he heard Jess 
neighing, got up to look' out, was afraid to tell, 
lest he too should be laughed at, and went 
back to bed immediately. 

In the middle of the night, a little old 
brown man, carrying a lantern, or at least 
carrying a light in his hand that looked like a 
lantern—went and unlocked Jess’s stable, and 
patted her pretty head. At first she started, 
but soon she grew quiet and pleased, and let 
him do what he chose with her. 

He began rubbing her down, making t le 
same funny hissing with his mouth that Bill 
did, and all grooms do—I never could find 
out why. But Jess evidently liked it, and 
stood as good as possible. 

“ Isn’t it nice to be clean ? ” said the wee 
man, talking to her as if she were a human 
being, or a Brownie. “ And I dare say your 



Brownie goes for a ride. 






















THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


99 


poor little legs ache with standing still so long. 
Shall we have a run together? The moon 
shines bright in the clear, cold night. Dear 
me! I’m talking poetry.” 

But Brownies are not poetical fairies, 
quite commonplace, and up to all sorts of 
work. So, while he talked, he was saddling 
and bridling Jess, she not objecting in the 
least. Finally, he jumped on her back. 

“ ‘ Off, said the stranger — off, off, and 
away! ’ ” sang the Brownie, mimicking a song 
of the Cook’s. 

People in that house often heard their 
songs repeated in the oddest way, from room 
to room, every body fancying it was somebody 
else that did it. But it was only the Brownie. 
“ Now, * A southerly wind and a cloudy sky 
proclaim it a hunting morning ! ’ ” 

Or night — for it was the middle of the 


100 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


night, though bright as day—and Jess 
galloped, and the Brownie sat on her back as 
merrily as if they had gone hunting together 
all their days. 

Such a chase it was ! They cleared the 
farm-yard at a single bound, and went flying 
down the road, and across the ploughed field, 
and into the wood. Then into the open 
country, and by-and-by into a dark, muddy 
lane — and oh! how muddy English lanes 
can be sometimes ! 

“ Lets go into the water and wash 
ourselves,” said Brownie, and coaxed Jess into 
a deep stream, which she swam as bravely as 
possible—she had not such a frolic since she 
left her native Shetland Isles. Upon the bank 
she scrambled, her long hair dripping as if she 
had been a water-dog instead of a pony. 
Brownie, too, shook himself like a rat or a 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


10) 


beaver, throwing a shower round him in all 
directions. 

“ Never mind; at it again, my lass!” and 
he urged Jess into the water once more. 
Out she came, wetter and brisker than ever, 
and went back home through the lane, and 
the wood, and the ploughed field, galloping 
like the wind, and tossing back her ears 
and mane and tail, perfectly frantic with 
enjoyment. 

But when she reached the stable, the 
plight she was in would have driven any 
respectable groom frantic too. Her sides were 
white with foam, and the mud was sticking all 
over her like a plaster. As for her beautiful 
long hair, it was all caked together in a tangle, 
as if all the combs in the world would never 
make it smooth again. Her mane especially 
was plaited into knots, which people in 


102 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


Devonshire call elf-locks, and say, when they 
find them on their horses, that it is because 
the fairies have been riding them. 

Certainly, poor Jess had been pretty well 
ridden that night! When, just as the dawn 
began to break, Gardene'r got up and looked 
into the farm-yard, his sharp eye caught sight 
of the stable-door, wide open. 

“Well done, Bill,” shouted he, “up early 
at last. One hour before breakfast is worth 
three after.” 

But no Bill was there: only Jess, trembling 
and shaking, all in a foam, and muddy from 
head to foot, but looking perfectly cheerful in 
her mind. And out from under her fore legs 
ran a small creature which Gardener mistook 
for Tiny, only Tiny was gray, and this dog was 
brown, of course ! 

I should not like to tell you all that was 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


103 


said to Bill when, an hour after breakfast¬ 
time, he came skulking up to the farm. 

In fact, words failing, Gardener took a 
good stick and laid it about Bills shoulders, 
saying he would either do this, or tell the 
mistress of him, and how he had left the 
stable-door open all night, and some bad fellow 
had stolen Jess, and galloped her all across 
the country, till, if she hadn’t been the 
cleverest pony in the world, she never could 
have got back again. 

Bill dared not contradict this explanation 
of the story, especially as the key was found 
hanging up in its proper place by the kitchen 
door. And when he went to get it, he heard 
the most extraordinary sound in the coal- 
cellar close by — like somebody snoring or 
laughing. Bill took to his heels; and did not 
come back for a whole hour. 


104 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


But when he did come back, he made 
himself as busy as possible. 

He cleaned Jess, which was half a days 
work at least. 

Then he took the little people a ride, and 
afterward put his stable in the most beautiful 
order, and altogether was such a changed Bill, 
that Gardener told him he must have left 
himself at home and brought back somebody 
else; whether or not, the boy certainly 
improved, so that there was less occasion to 
find fault with him afterward. 

Jess lived to be quite an old pony, and 
carried a great many people — little people 
always, for she herself never grew any bigger. 
But I don’t think she ever carried a Brownie 
again. 


ADVENTURE THE FIFTH. 


BROWNIE ON THE ICE. 

Winter was a grand time with the six 
little children, especially when they had frost 
and snow. This happened seldom enough for 
it to be the greatest possible treat when it did 
happen ; and it never lasted very long, for the 
winters are warm in Devonshire. 

There was a little lake three fields off, 
which made the most splendid sliding-place 
imaginable. No skaters went near it— it was 
not large enough; and besides, there was 
nobody to skate, the neighborhood being 
lonely. The lake itself looked the loneliest 
place imaginable. It was not very deep — not 
deep enough to drown a man — but it had a 
gravelly bottom, and was always very clear. 
Also, the trees round it grew so thick that they 

105 


Brownie on the ice. 


















THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


107 


sheltered it completely from the wind; so, 
when it did freeze, it generally froze as smooth 
as a sheet of glass. 

“ The ice bears ! ” was such a grand event, 
and so rare, that when it did occur, the news 
came at once to the farm, and the children 
carried it as quickly to their mother. For she 
had promised them that, if such a thing did 
happen this year — it did not happen every 
year — lessons should be stopped entirely, and 
they should all go down to the lake and slide, 
if they liked, all day long. 

So one morning, just before Christmas, 
the eldest boy ran in with a countenance of 
great delight. 

“ Mother, the ice on the lake bears ! ” (It 
was rather a compliment to call it a lake, it 
being only about twenty yards across and forty 
long.) “ The ice will really bear you ! ” 


108 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


“Who says so?” 

“ Bill. Bill has been on it an hour this 
morning, and has made us two such beautiful 
slides, he says — an up-slide and a down-slide. 
May we go to them directly?” 

The mother hesitated. 

“ You promised, you know,” pleaded the 
children. 

“ Very well, then ; only be careful.” 

“ And may we slide all day long, and 
never come home for dinner or any thing?” 

“ Yes, if you like. Only Gardener must 
go with you, and stay all day.” 

This they did not like at all; nor, when 
Gardener was spoken to, did he. 

“You bothering children! I wish you 
may all get a good ducking into the lake! 
Serve you right for making me lose a day’s 
work, just to look after you little monkeys. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


109 


I’ve a great mind to tell your mother I won’t 
do it.” 

But he did not, being fond of his mistress. 
He was also fond of his work, but he had no 
notion of play. I think the saying of '‘All 
work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” 
must have been applied to him, for Gardener, 
whatever he had been as a boy, was certainly a 
dull and melancholy man. 

The children used to say that if he and 
idle Bill could have been kneaded into one, and 
baked in the oven — a very warm oven — they 
would have come out rather a pleasant person. 

As it was, Gardener was anything but a 
pleasant person ; above all, to spend a long day 
with, and on the ice, where one needs all one’s 
cheerfulness and good-humor to bear pinched 
fingers and numbed toes, and trips and tumbles, 
and various uncomfortablenesses. 


110 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


“ He’ll growl at us all day long — he’ll be 
a regular spoil-sport! ” lamented the children. 
“ Oh! mother, mightn’t we go alone?” 

“No!” said the mother, and her “No” 
meant no, though she was always very kind. 
They argued the point no more, but started off, 
rather downhearted. 

But soon they regained their spirits, for it 
was a bright, clear, frosty day — the sun 
shining, though not enough to melt the ice, 
and just sufficient to lie like a thin sprinkling 
over the grass, and turn the brown branches 
into white ones. 

The little people danced along to keep 
themselves warm, carrying between them a 
basket which held their lunch. A very harm¬ 
less lunch it was,— just a large brown loaf and 
a lump of cheese and a knife to cut it with. 
Tossing the basket about in their fun, they 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


ill 


managed to tumble the knife out, and were 
having a search for it in the long grass, when 
Gardener came up, grumpily enough. 

“ To think of trusting you children with one 
of the table-knives and a basket! what a fool 
Cook must be! I’ll tell her so; and if they’re 
lost she’ll blame me; give me the things.” 

He put the knife angrily in one pocket. 
“ Perhaps it will cut a hole in it,” said one of 
the children, in rather a pleased tone than 
otherwise; then he turned all the lunch on the 
grass and crammed it in the other pocket, 
hiding the basket behind a hedge. 

“ I’m sure I’ll not be at the trouble of 
carrying it,” said he, when the children cried 
out at this; “and you shan’t carry it either, 
for you’ll knock it about and spoil it. And as 
for your lunch getting warm in my pocket, why, 
so much the better this cold day. 


112 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


It was not a lively joke, and they knew 
his pocket was very dirty. Indeed, the little 
girls had seen him stuff a dead rat into it only 
the day before. They looked ready to cry; 
but there was no help for them, except going 
back and complaining to their mother, and 
they did not like to do that. Besides, they 
knew that, though Gardener was cross, he was 
trustworthy, and she would never let them go 
down to the lake without him. 

So they followed him, trying to be as good 
as they could — though it was difficult work. 
One of them proposed pelting him with snow¬ 
balls, as they pelted each other. But at the 
first — which fell in his neck — he turned round 
so furiously, that they never sent a second, 
but walked behind him as meek as mice. 

As they went, they heard little steps 
pattering after them. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


113 


“ Perhaps it is the Brownie coming to play 
with us — I wish he would,” whispered the 
youngest girl to the eldest boy, whose hand 
she generally held; and then the little pattering 
steps sounded again, traveling through the 
snow, but they saw nobody — so they said 
nothing. 

The children would have liked to go 
straight to the ice; but Gardener insisted on 
taking them a mile round, to look at an 
extraordinary animal which a farmer there had 
just got — sent by his brother in Australia. 
The two old men stood gossiping so long that 
the children wearied extremely. Every minute 
seemed an hour till they got on the ice. 

At last one of them pulled Gardeners 
coat-tails, and whispered that they were quite 
ready to go. 

“ Then I’m not,” and he waited ever so 


114 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


much longer, and got a drink of hot cider, 
which made him quite lively for a little while. 

But by the time they reached the lake, he 
was as cross as ever. He struck the ice with 
his stick, but made no attempt to see if it 
really did bear—though he would not allow 
the children to go one step upon it till he had 
tried. 

“ I know it doesn’t bear, and you’ll just 
have to go home again — a good thing too — 
saves me from losing a day’s work.” 

“Try, only try; Bill said it bore,” implored 
the boys, and looked wistfully at the two 
beautiful slides — just as Bill said, one up and 
one down — stretching all across the lake; “ of 
course it bears, or Bill could not have made 
these slides.” 

“ Bill’s a fool! ” said the Gardener, and 
put his heavy foot cautiously on the ice. Just 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


115 


then there was seen jumping across it a 
creature which certainly had never been seen 
on the ice before. It made the most extra¬ 
ordinary bounds on its long hind legs, with its 
little fore legs tucked up in front of it as if it 
wanted to carry a muff; and its long, stiff tail 
sticking out straight behind, to balance itself 
with, apparently. 

The children at first started with surprise, 
and then burst out laughing, for it was the 
funniest creature, and had the funniest way of 
getting along, that they had ever seen in their 
lives. 

“ It’s the kangaroo! ” cried Gardener, in 
great excitement. “ It has got loose — and its 
sure to be lost—and what a way Mr. Giles 
will be in! I must go and tell him. Or stop, 
I’ll try and catch it.” 

But in vain — it darted once or twice 



Brownie fixes the ice. 





















THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


117 


across the ice, dodging him, as it were; and 
once coming so close that he nearly caught it 
by the tail — to the children’s great delight — 
then it vanished entirely. 

“ I must go and tell Mr. Giles directly,” 
said Gardener, and then stopped. For he had 
promised not to leave the children; and it was 
such a wild-goose chase, after an escaped 
kangaroo. But he might get half a crown 
as a reward, and he was sure of another glass 
of cider. 

“You just stop quiet here, and I’ll be 
back in five minutes,” said he to the children. 
“ You may go a little way on the ice — I think 
it’s sound enough; only mind you don t tumble 
in, for there’ll be nobody to pull you out.” 

“ Oh no,” said the children, clapping their 
hands. They did not care for tumbling in, 
and were quite glad there was nobody there to 


118 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


pull them out. They hoped Gardener would 
stop a very long time away—only, as some 
one suggested when he was seen hurrying 
across the snowy field, he had taken away 
their lunch in his pocket, too. 

“Never mind — we’re not hungry yet. 
Now for a slide.” 

Off they darted, the three elder boys, with 
a good run; the biggest of the girls followed 
after them; and soon the whole four were 
skimming one after the other, as fast as a 
railway train, across the slippery ice. And, 
like a railway train, they had a collision, and all 
came tumbling one over the other, with great 
screaming and laughter, to the high bank on 
the other side. The two younger ones stood 
mournfully watching the others from the 
opposite bank — when there stood beside them 
a small brown man. , 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


119 


“Ho-ho! little people,” said he, coming 
between them and taking hold of a hand of 
each. His was so warm and theirs so cold, 
that it was quite comfortable. And then, 
somehow, they found in their open mouths, a 
nice lozenge — I think it was peppermint, but 
am not sure; which comforted them still 
more. 

“ Did you want me to play with you ? ” 
cried the Brownie ; “ then here I am ! What 
shall we do ? Have a turn on the ice 
together ? ” 

No sooner said than done. The two little 
children felt themselves floating along — it 
was more like floating than running — with 
Brownie between them ; up the lake, and down 
the lake, and across the lake, not at all 
interfering with the sliders — indeed, it was a 
great deal better than sliding. Rosy and 


120 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


breathless, their toes so nice and warm, and 
their hands feeling like mince-pies just taken 
out of the oven — the little ones came to a 
stand-still. 

The elder ones stopped their sliding, and 
looked toward Brownie with entreating eyes. 
He swung himself up to a willow bough, and 
then turned head over heels on to the ice. 

“ Hello! you don’t mean to say you big 
ones want a race too! Well, come along — 
if the two eldest will give a slide to the little 
ones.” 

He watched them take a tiny sister 
between them, and slide her up one slide and 
down another, screaming with delight. Then 
he took the two middle children in either hand. 

“ One, two, three, and away! ” Off they 
started — scudding along as light as feathers 
and as fast as steam-engines, over the smooth, 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


121 


blue ice, so clear that they could see the bits 
of stick and water-grasses frozen in it, and even 
the little fishes swimming far down below — if 
they had only looked long enough. 

When all had had their fair turns, they 
began to be frightfully hungry. 

“ Catch a fish for dinner, and I’ll lend you 
a hook,” said Brownie. At which they all 
laughed, and then looked rather grave. 
Pulling a cold, raw, live fish from under the 
ice and eating it is not a pleasant idea of 
dinner. “Well, what would you like to have? 
Let the little one choose.” 

She said, after thinking a minute, that she 
should like a currant cake. 

“And I’d give you all a bit of it — a very 
large bit—I would indeed! added she, 
almost with tears in her eyes —she was so 
very hungry. 


122 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


“ Do it, then! ” said the Brownie, in his 
little squealing voice. 

Immediately the stone that the little girl 
was sitting on—a round, hard stone, and so 
cold! — turned into a nice hot cake — so hot 
that she jumped up directly. As soon as she 
saw what it was, she clapped her hands for 
joy. 

“Oh, what a beautiful, beautiful cake! 
only we haven’t got a knife to cut it.” 

The boys felt in all their pockets, but 
somehow their knives never were there when 
they were wanted. 

“ Look ! you’ve got one in your hand ! ” 
said Brownie to the little one; and that minute 
a bit of stick she held turned into a bread-knife 
— silver, with an ivory handle — big enough 
and sharp enough, without being too sharp. 
For the youngest girl was not allowed to use 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


123 


sharp knives, though she liked cutting things 
very much, especially cakes. 

“ That will do. Sit you down and carve 
the dinner. Fair shares, and don’t let any¬ 
body eat too much. Now begin, ma’am,” said 
the Brownie, quite politely, as if she had been 
ever so old. 

Oh, how proud the little girl was! How 
bravely she set to work, and cut five of the 
biggest slices you ever saw, and gave them to 
her brothers and sisters, and was just going to 
take the sixth slice for herself, when she 
remembered the Brownie. 

“ I beg your pardon,” said she, as politely 
as he, though she was such a very little girl, 
and turned round to the wee brown man. But 
he was nowhere to be seen. The slices of 
cake in the children’s hands remained cake, 
and uncommonly good it was, and such 


124 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


substantial eating that it did nearly the same 
as dinner; but the cake itself turned suddenly 
to a stone again, and the knife into a bit of 
stick. 

For there was the Gardener coming: 
clumping along by the bank of the lake, and 
growling as he went. 

“ Have you got the kangaroo ? ” shouted 
the children, determined to be civil, if possible. 

“ This place is bewitched, I think,” said 
he. “ The kangaroo was fast asleep in the 
cow-shed. What! how dare you laugh at 
me? ” 

But they hadn’t laughed at all. And they 
found it no laughing matter, poor children, 
when Gardener came on the ice, and began to 
scold them and order them about. 

He was perfectly savage with crossness; 
for the people at Giles’s Farm had laughed at 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


125 


him very much, and he did not like to be 
laughed at — and at the top of the field he had 
by chance met his mistress, and she had asked 
him severely how he could think of leaving the 
children alone. 

Altogether, his conscience pricked him a 
good deal; and when peoples consciences 
prick them, sometimes they get angry with 
other people, which is very silly, and only 
makes matters worse. 

“ What have you been doing all this 
time?” said he. 

“All this five minutes?” said the eldest 
boy, mischievously; for Gardener was only to 
be away five minutes, and he had staid a full 
hour. Also, when he fumbled in his pocket 
for the childrens lunch —to stop their tongues, 
perhaps — he found it was not there. 

They set up a great outcry; for, in spite 


126 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


of the cake, they could have eaten a little 
more. 

Indeed, the frost had such an effect upon 
all their appetites, that they were not unlike 
that celebrated gentleman of whom it is told 
that 

“He ate a cow, and ate a calf, 

He ate an ox, and ate a half; 

He ate a church, he ate the steeple, 

He ate the priest, and all the people, 
And said he hadn’t had enough then.” 

“We’re so hungry, so very hungry! 
Couldn’t you go back again and fetch us some 
dinner?” cried they, entreatingly. 

“ Not I, indeed. You may go back to 
dinner yourselves. You shall, indeed, for I 
want my dinner, too. Two hours is plenty 
long enough to stop on the ice. 

“It isn’t two hours — it’s only one.” 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


127 


“ Well, one will do better than more. 
You’re all right now — and you might soon 
tumble in, or break your legs on the slide. So 
come away home.” 

It wasn’t kind of Gardener, and I don’t 
wonder the children felt it hard; indeed, the 
eldest boy resisted stoutly. 

“ Mother said we might stop all day, and 
we will stop all day. You may go home if 
you like.” 

“ I won’t, and you shall! said Gardener, 
smacking a whip that he carried in his hand. 
“ Stop till I catch you, and I’ll give you this 
about your back, my fine gentleman.” 

And he tried to follow, but the little fellow 
darted across the ice, objecting to be either 
caught or whipped. 

It may have been rather naughty, but I 
am afraid it was great fun dodging the 


128 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


Gardener up and down ; he being too timid to 
go on the slippery ice, and sometimes getting 
so close that the whip nearly touched the lad. 

“ Bless us! there’s the kangaroo again ! ” 
said he, starting. Just as he had caught the 
boy, and lifted the whip, the creature was seen 
hop-hopping from bank to bank. “ I can’t 
surely be mistaken this time; I must catch it.” 

Which seemed quite easy, for it limped 
as if it were lame, or as if the frost had bitten 
its toes, poor beast! Gardener went after it, 
walking cautiously on the slippery, crackling 
ice, and never minding whether or no he 
walked on the slides, though they called out to 
him that his nailed boots would spoil them. 

But whether it was the ice which bears a 
boy will not bear a man, or whether at each 
lame step of the kangaroo there came a great 
crack, is more than I can tell. However, just 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


129 


as Gardener reached the middle of the lake, the 
ice suddenly broke, and in he popped. The 
kangaroo too, apparently, for it was not seen 
afterward. 

What a hullaballoo the poor man made! 
Not that he was drowning — the lake was too 
shallow to drown anybody; but he got terribly 
wet, and the water was very cold. 

He soon scrambled out, the boys helping 
him; and then he hobbled home as fast as he 
could, not even saying thank you, or taking 
the least notice of them. 

Indeed, nobody took any notice of them — 
nobody came to fetch them, and they might 
have staid sliding the whole afternoon. Only 
somehow they did not feel quite easy in their 
minds. And though the hole in the ice closed 
up immediately, and it seemed as firm as ever, 
still they did not like to slide upon it again. 


130 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


“ I think we had better go home and tell 
mother every thing,” said one of them. 
“ Besides, we ought to see what has become of 
poor Gardener. He was very wet.” 

“Yes; but oh, how funny he looked!” 
And they all burst out laughing at the 
recollection of the figure he cut, scrambling out 
from the ice with his pants dripping up to the 
knees, and the water running out of his boots, 
making a little pool wherever he stepped. 

“And it freezes so hard, that by the time 
he gets home his clothes will be as stiff as a 
board. His wife will have to put him to 
the fire to thaw before he can get out of 
them.” 

Again the little people burst into shouts of 
laughter. Although they laughed, they were a 
little sorry for poor old Gardener, and hoped 
no great harm had come to him, but that he 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


131 


had got safe home and been dried by his own 
warm fire. 

The frosty mist was beginning already to 
rise, and the sun, though still high up in the 
sky, looked like a ball of red-hot iron as the six 
children went home across the fields — merry 
enough still, but not quite so merry as they had 
been a few hours before. 

“ Let’s hope mother won’t be vexed with 
us,” said they, “ but will let us come back again 
to-morrow. It wasn’t our fault that Gardener 
tumbled in.” 

As somebody said this, they all heard 
quite distinctly, “ Ha, ha, ha! ” and “ Ho, ho, 
ho! ” and a sound of little steps pattering 
behind. 

But whatever they thought, nobody 
ventured to say that it was the fault of the 
Brownie. 


ADVENTURE THE SIXTH AND LAST. 

BROWNIE AND THE CLOTHES. 

Till the next time; but when there is a 
Brownie in the house, no one can say that any 
of his tricks will be the last. For there’s no 
stopping a Brownie, and no getting rid of him 
either. 

This one had followed the family from 
house to house, generation after generation — 
never any older, and sometimes seeming even 
to grow younger, by the tricks he played. In 
fact, though he looked like an old man, he was 
a perpetual child. 

To the children he never did any harm, 
quite the contrary. And his chief misdoings 
were against those who vexed the children. 
But he gradually made friends with several of 

132 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


133 


his grown-up enemies. Cook, for instance, 
who had ceased to be lazy at night and late in 
the morning, found no more black foot-marks 
on her white table-cloth. And Brownie found 
his basin of milk waiting for him, night after 
night, behind the coal-cellar door. 

Bill, too, got on well enough with his 
pony, and Jess was taken no more night-rides. 
No ducks were lost: and Dolly gave her milk 
quite comfortably to whoever milked her. 
Alas! this was either Bill or the Gardener’s 
wife now. After that adventure on the ice, 
poor Gardener very seldom appeared; when 
he did, it was on two crutches, for he had had 
rheumatism in his feet, and could not stir 
outside his cottage door. Bill, therefore, had 
double work; which was probably all the better 
for Bill. 

The garden had to take care of itself; but 


134 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


this being winter-time, it did not much signify. 
Besides, Brownie seldom went into the garden, 
except in summer; during the cold weather he 
preferred to stop in his coal-cellar. It might 
not have been a lively place, but it was warm, 
and he liked it. 

He had company there, too ; for when the 
cat had more kittens — the kitten he used to 
tease being grown up now — they were all put 
in a basket in the coal-cellar; and of cold nights 
Brownie used to jump in beside them, and be 
as warm and as cosy as a kitten himself. The 
little things never were heard to mew; so it 
may be supposed they liked his society. And 
the old mother-cat evidently bore him no 
malice for the whipping she had got by 
mistake; so Brownie must have found means 
of coaxing her over. 

One thing you may be sure of — all the 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 135 

while she and her kittens were in his coal- 
cellar, he took care never to turn himself into 
a mouse. 

He was spending the winter, on the whole, 
very comfortably, without much trouble either 
to himself or his neighbors, when one day, the 
coal-cellar being nearly empty, two men, and a 
great wagon-load of coals behind them, came 
to the door, Gardener’s wife following. 

“ My man says you’re to give the cellar a 
good cleaning out before you put any more in,” 
said she, in her sharp voice; “ and don’t be lazy 
about it. It’ll not take you ten minutes, for it’s 
nearly all coal-dust, except that one big lump 
in the corner — you might clear that out too.” 

“ Stop, it’s the Brownie’s lump ! better not 
meddle with it,” whispered the little scullery- 
maid. 


Don’t you meddle with matters that 


136 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


can’t concern you,” said the Gardener’s wife, 
who had been thinking what a nice help it 
would be to her fire. To be sure, it was not 
her lump of coal, but she thought she might 
take it; the mistress would never miss it, or 
the Brownie either. He must be a very silly 
old Brownie to live under a lump of coal. 

So she argued with herself, and made the 
men lift it. “You must lift it, you see, if you 
are to sweep the coal-cellar out clean. And 
you may as well put it on the barrow, and I’ll 
wheel it out of your way.” 

This she said in quite a civil tone, lest 
they should tell of her, and stood by while it 
was being done. It was done without 
any thing happening, except that a large rat 
ran out of the coal-cellar door, bouncing 
against her feet, and frightening her so much 
that she nearly tumbled down. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


137 


“ See what nonsense it is to talk of 
Brownies living in a coal-cellar. Nothing lives 
there but rats, and I’ll have them poisoned 
pretty soon, and get rid of them.” 

But she was rather frightened all the 
same, for the rat had been such a very big rat, 
and had looked at her, as it darted past, with 
such wild, bright, mischievous eyes — brown 
eyes, of course — that she all but jumped with 
surprise. However, she had got her lump of 
coal, and was wheeling it quietly away, nobody 
seeing, to her cottage at the bottom of the 
garden. She was a hard-worked woman, and 
her husband’s illness, made things harder for 
her. Still, she was not quite easy at taking 
what did not belong to her. 

“ I don’t suppose any body will miss the 
coal,” she repeated. “ I dare say the mistress 
would have given it to me if I had asked her; 


138 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


and as for its being the Brownie’s lump^ 
fudge! Bless us! what’s that?” 

For the barrow began to creak dreadfully, 
and every creak sounded like the cry of a child, 
just as if the wheel were going over its leg and 
crushing its poor little bones. 

“ What a horrid noise! I must grease 
the barrow. If only I knew where they keep 
the grease-box. All goes wrong, now my old 
man’s laid up. Oh, dear! oh, dear!” 

For suddenly the barrow had tilted over, 
though there was not a single stone near, and 
the big coal was tumbled on to the ground, 
where it broke into a thousand pieces. 
Gathering it up again was hopeless, and it 
made such a mess on the gravel-walk, that the 
old woman was thankful her misfortune 
happened behind the hedge, where nobody was 
likely to come. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE 


139 


“ I’ll take a broom and sweep it up to¬ 
morrow. Nobody goes near the orchard now, 
except me when I hang out the clothes; so I 
need say nothing about it to the old man or 
anybody. But ah! deary me, what a beautiful 
lot of coal I’ve lost!” 

She stood and looked at it mournfully, 
and then went into her cottage, where she 
found two or three of the little children 
keeping Gardener company. They did not 
dislike to do this now; but he was so much 
kinder than he used to be — so quiet and 
patient, though he suffered very much. And 
he had never once reproached them for what 
they always remembered — that it was ever 
since he was on the ice with them that he had 
got the rheumatism. 

So, one or other of them made a point of 
going to see him every day, and telling him all 


140 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


the funny things they could think of — indeed 
it was a contest among them who should first 
make Gardener laugh. They did not succeed 
in doing that exactly; but they managed to 
make him smile; and he was always gentle 
and grateful to them ; so that they sometimes 
thought it was rather nice his being ill. 

But his wife was not pleasant; she 
grumbled all day long, and snapped at him 
and his visitors; being especially snappish 
this day, because she had lost her big coal. 

“ I can't have you children come bothering 
here,” said she, crossly. “ I want to wring out 
my clothes, and hang them to dry. Be off 
with you ! ” “ Let us stop a little — just to tell 
Gardener this one curious thing about Dolly 
and the pig — and then we’ll help you to take 
your clothes to the orchard ; we can carry your 
basket between us—-we can, indeed.” 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


141 


That was the last thing the woman 
wished; for she knew that the children would 
be sure to see the mess on the gravel-walk — 
and they were such inquisitive children — they 
noticed every thing. They would want to 
know all about it, and how the bits of coal 
came there. It was a very awkward position. 
But people who take other people’s property 
often do find themselves in awkward positions. 

“ Thank you, young gentlemen,” said she, 
quite politely; “but indeed the basket is too 
heavy for you. However, you may stop and 
gossip a little longer with my old man. He 
likes it.” 

And, while they were shut up with 
Gardener in his bedroom, off she went, carrying 
the basket on her head, and hung her clothes 
carefully out — the big things on lines between 
the fruit trees, and the little things, such as 


142 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


stockings and pocket-handkerchiefs, stuck on 
the berry-bushes, or spread upon the clean 
green grass. 

“ Such a fine day as it is! they’ll dry 
directly,” said she, cheerfully, to herself. 
“ Plenty of sun, and not a breath of wind to 
blow them about. I’ll leave them for an hour 
or two, and come and get them before it grows 
dark. Then I shall get all my folding done by 
bed-time, and have a clear day for ironing 
to-morrow.” 

But when she did bring them in, having 
bundled them all together in the dusk of the 
evening, never was such a sight as those 
clothes! They were all twisted in the oddest 
way — the stockings turned inside out, with 
the heels and toes tucked into the legs; the 
sleeves of the shirts tied together in double 
knots, the pocket-handkerchiefs made into 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


143 


round balls, so tight that if you had pelted a 
person with them, they would have given very 
hard blows indeed. And the whole looked as 
if, instead of lying quietly on the grass and 
bushes, they had been dragged through heaps 
of mud and then stamped upon, so that there 
was not a clean inch upon them from end to 
end. 

“ What a horrid mess! ” cried the Gar¬ 
dener’s wife, who had been at first very 
angry, and then very frightened. “But I 
know what it is; that nasty Boxer has got 
loose again. It’s he that has done it.” 

“ Boxer wouldn’t tie shirt-sleeves in double 
knots, or make balls of pocket-handkerchiefs,” 
Gardener was heard to answer, solemnly. 

“ Then it’s those horrid children ; they are 
always up to some mischief or other — just let 
me catch them!” 


144 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


“ You’d better not,” said somebody in a 
voice exactly like Gardener’s, though he 
himself declared he had not spoken a word. 
Indeed, he was fast asleep. 

“ Well it’s the most extraordinary thing I 
ever heard of,” the Gardener’s wife said, 
supposing she was talking to her husband all 
the time; but soon she held her tongue, for 
she found here and there among the clothes all 
sorts of queer marks — marks of fingers, and 
toes, and heels, not in mud at all, but in coal- 
dust, as black as black could be. 

Now, as the place where the big coal had 
tumbled out of the barrow was fully fifty yards 
from the orchard, and, as the coal could not 
come to the clothes, and the clothes could not 
go without hands, the only conclusion she 
could arrive at was — well, no particular 
conclusion at all 1 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


145 


It was too late that night to begin 
washing again; besides, she was extremely 
tired, and her husband woke up rather worse 
than usual, so she just bundled the clothes up 
anyhow in a corner, put the kitchen to rights 
and went mournfully to bed. 

Next morning she got up long before it 
was light, washed her clothes through all over 
again, and, it being impossible to dry them by 
the fire, went out with them once more, and 
began spreading them out in their usual 
corner, in a hopeless and melancholy manner. 
While she was at it, the little folks came 
trooping around her. She didn’t scold them 
this time, she was too low-spirited. 

“ No! my old man isn’t any better, and I 
don’t fancy he ever will be,” said she, in 
answer to their questions. “ And every thing’s 
gone wrong with us — just listen! ” And she 


146 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


told the trick which had been played her about 
the clothes. 

The little people tried not to laugh, but it 
was so funny; and even now, the minute she 
had done hanging them out, there was some¬ 
thing so droll in the way the clothes blew 
about, without any wind; the shirts hanging 
with their necks downward, as if there was a 
man inside them ; and the drawers standing 
stiffly astride on the gooseberry-bushes, for all 
the world as if they held a pair of legs still. 
As for the Gardener’s night-caps — long, white 
cotton, with a tassel at the top — they were 
alarming to look at; just like a head stuck on 
the top of a pole. 

The whole thing was so peculiar, and the 
old woman so comical in her despair, that the 
children, after trying hard to keep it in, at last 
broke into shouts of laughter. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


147 


She turned furiously upon them. 

“ It was you who did it! ” 

“No, indeed it wasn’t!” said they, 
jumping farther to escape her blows. For she 
had got one of her clothes-props, and was 
laying about her in the most reckless manner. 
However, she hurt nobody, and then she 
suddenly burst out, not laughing, but crying. 

“ It’s a cruel thing, whoever has done it, 
to play such tricks on a poor body like me, 
with a sick husband that she works hard for, 
and not a child to help her. But I don’t care. 
I’ll wash my clothes again, if it’s twenty times 
over, and I’ll hang them out again in the very 
place, just to make you all ashamed of 
yourselves. 

Perhaps the little people were ashamed of 
themselves, though they really had not done 
the mischief. But they knew right well who 


148 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


had done it, and more than once they were 
about to tell; only they were afraid, if they did 
so, they should vex the Brownie so much that 
he would never corne and play with them any 
more. So they looked at one another without 
speaking, and when the Gardener’s wife had 
emptied her basket and dried her eyes, they 
said to her, very kindly: 

“ Perhaps no harm may come to your 
clothes this time. We’ll sit and watch them 
till they are dry.” 

“Just as you like; I don’t care. Them 
that hides can find, and them that plays tricks 
knows how to stop ’em.” 

It was not a civil speech, but then things 
were hard for the poor old woman. She had 
been awake nearly all night, and up washing at 
day-break; her eyes were red with crying, and 
her steps weary and slow. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


149 


The little children felt quite sorry for her, 
and, instead of going to play, sat watching the 
clothes as patiently as possible. 



Nothing came near them. Sometimes, as 
before, the things seemed to dance about 
without hands, and turn into odd shapes, as if 
there were people inside them; but not a 
creature was seen, and not a sound was heard. 
And though there was neither wind nor sun, 
very soon all the linen was perfectfy dry. 

“ Get one of mother s baskets, and we’ll 
fold the clothes up as tidily as possible—that 
is, the girls can do it, it’s their business — and 


150 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


we boys will carry it safe to Gardeners 
cottage.” 

So said they, not liking to say that they 
could not trust it out of their sight for fear of 
Brownie, whom, indeed, they were expecting to 
see peer round from every bush. 

They began to have a secret fear that he 
was rather a naughty Brownie; but then, as the 
eldest little girl whispered, “ He was only a 
Brownie, and knew no better.” 

Now they were growing quite big 
children, who would be men and women some 
time; when they hoped they would never do 
anything wrong. (Their parents hoped the 
same, but doubted it.) 

In a serious and careful manner they 
folded up the clothes, and laid them one by 
one in the basket without any mischief, until, 
just as the two biggest boys were lifting their 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


151 


burden to carry it away, they felt something 
tugging at it from underneath. 

“ Hallo! Where are you taking all this 
rubbish? Better give it to me.” 

“ No, if you please,” said they, very civilly, 
not to offend the little brown man. “We’ll 
not trouble you, thanks! We’d rather do it 
ourselves; for poor old Gardener is very ill, 
and his wife is very miserable, and we are 
extremely sorry for them both.” 

“ Extremely sorry! ” cried Brownie, throw¬ 
ing up his cap in the air, and tumbling head 
over heels in an excited manner. “What in 
the world does extremely sorry mean?” 

The children could not explain, especially 
to a Brownie; but they thought they under¬ 
stood—anyhow, they felt it. And they looked 
so sorrowful that the Brownie could not tell 
what to make of it. 


152 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


He could not be said to be sorry, since, 
being a Brownie, and not a human being, 
knowing right from wrong, he never tried 
particularly to do right, and had no idea when 
he was doing wrong. 

But he seemed to have an idea that he 
was troubling the children, and he never liked 
to see them look unhappy. 

So he turned head over heels six times 
running, and then came back again. 

“ The silly old woman ! I washed her 
clothes for her last night in a way she didn’t 
expect. I hadn’t any soap, so I used a little 
mud and coal-dust, and very pretty they 
looked. Ha, ha, ha! Shall I wash them over 
again to-night ? ” 

“ Oh, no, please don’t! ” implored the 
children. 

“Shall I starch and iron them? I’ll do it 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. j53 

beautifully. One — two — three, five — six — 
seven, Abracadabra, turn — turn — ti! ” shouted 
he, jabbering all sorts of nonsense, as it 
seemed to the children, and playing such antics 
that they stood and stared in the utmost 
amazement, and quite forgot the clothes. 
When they looked round again, the basket was 
gone. 

“ Seek till you find, seek till you find, 
Under the biggest gooseberry-bush, exactly 
to your mind.” 

They heard him singing this remarkable 
rhyme, long after they had lost sight of him. 
And then they all set about searching; 
but it was a long while before they found, and 
still longer before they could decide, which 
was the biggest gooseberry-bush, each child 
having his or her opinion — sometimes a very 
strong one — on the matter. 


154 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


At last they agreed to settle it by pulling 
half a dozen little sticks, to see which stick 
was the longest, and the child that held it was 
to decide the gooseberry-bush. 

This done, underneath the branches what 
should they find but the identical basket of 
clothes! only, instead of being roughly dried, 
they were all starched and ironed in the most 
beautiful manner. 

As for the shirts, they really were a 
picture to behold, and the stockings were all 
folded up, and even darned in one or two 
places, as neatly as possible. And strange to 
tell, there was not a single black mark of feet 
or fingers on any one of them. 

“ Kind little Brownie! clever little 
Brownie! ” cried the children in chorus, and 
thought this was the most astonishing trick 
he had ever played. 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


155 


What the Gardener’s wife said about it, 
whether they told her anything, or allowed her 
to suppose that the clothes had been done in 
their own laundry instead of the Brownie’s 
(wherever that establishment might be), is 
more than I can tell. 

Of one thing only I am certain — that 
the little people said nothing but what was 
true. Also, that the very minute they got 
home they told their mother everything. 

But for a long time after that they were a 
good deal troubled. Gardener got better, and 
went hobbling about the place again, to his 
own and everybody’s great content, and his 
wife was less sharp-tongued and complaining 
than usual — indeed, she had nothing to com¬ 
plain of. All the family were very flourishing, 
except the little Brownie. 

Often there was heard a curious sound all 
















THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


157 


over the house; it might have been rats 
squeaking behind the wainscoat — the elders 
said it was — but the children were sure it 
was a sort of weeping and wailing. 

“ They’ve stolen my coal, 

And I haven’t a hole 
To hide in; 

Not even a house 
One could ask a mouse 
To bide in.” 

A most forlorn tune it was, ending in a 
dreary minor key, and it lasted for months and 
months — at least the children said it did. 
And they were growing quite dull for want 
of a playfellow, when, by the greatest good 
luck in the world, there came to the house 
not only a new lot of kittens, but a new 
baby. And the new baby was everybody’s pet, 
including the Brownie’s. 


158 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


From that time, though he was not often 
seen, he was continually heard up and down 
the staircase, where he was frequently mis¬ 
taken for Tiny or the cat, and sent sharply j 
down again, which was wasting a great deal 
of wholesome anger upon Mr. Nobody. Or 
he lurked in odd corners of the nursery, 
whither the baby was seen crawling eagerly 
after nothing in particular, or sitting laughing 
with all her might at something — probably 
her own toes. 

But, as Brownie was never seen, he was 
never suspected. And since he did no mis¬ 
chief — neither pinched the baby nor broke 
the toys, left no soap in the bath and no foot¬ 
marks about the room — but was always a 
well-conducted Brownie in every way, he was 
allowed to inhabit the nursery (or supposed to 
do so, since, as nobody saw him, nobody could 


THE ADVENTURES OF A BROWNIE. 


159 


prevent him), until the children were grown up 
into men and women. 

After that he retired into his coal-cellar, 
and, for all I know, he may live there still, and 
have gone through hundreds of adventures 
since; but as I never heard them, I can’t tell 
them. Only I think, if I could be a little 
child again, I should exceedingly like a 
Brownie to play with me. Should not you ? 




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